Why read this article ?-The following article published in Nature shows how organisms living in the gut (Microbiome) can influence skin properties such as in atopic dermatitis (AD).

What do changes in the Microbiome contained the Gut do to the Body ?

Effects concern many systems and here are some of them:-In the lung microbiota influence gene expression which play a role in allergic asthma-In the adipose tissue, microbial metabolites can have an influence on Obesity and Insulin resistance.-In the pancreas, insulin secretion can be impaired and lead to type 2 diabetes.-In the Brain, stress response can be influenced as there is an effect on serotonin metabolism

This article goes one step further by highlighting the known influences on the skin, more precisely on Atopic Dermatitis (AD).

How was the influence of the Microbiome on AD evaluated ? What did it show ?-3 Neonatal Gut Microbiomes were determined (NGM) and relative risks to develop AD were calculated in each of them. The group with the highest risk of developing AD (NGM3) showed the following:

Conclusion: CD4+ T cell dysregulation is a characteristic of AD which could be the result of Microbiome changes.

Comment: Stool analysis is a straightforward process and the revelation of a distinct Microbiome at birth might be helpful in determining the future risk of developing AD. This has preventive and therapeutical implications.

Germs in the Gut, a short introduction-Trillions of bacteria produce metabolites that in turn sense signals to the rest of the body thus altering immune and hormonal systems.

-Bacteria are of several species and the specific composition is influenced by genetic and hormonal factors. There is a tendency for each individual to have a specific composition called an enterotype. There are theoreticaly 3 enterotypes, not a lot but it makes sense when considering that bacteria have and interdependency among them. (metabolically connected)